19th Century Greece

Four generations of kings. Christian IX, King of Denmark, his second son King George I of Greece, King Constantine of Greece, the son of the latter, and the eldest son of Constantine, the future King George II of Greece.

 

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The Duke of Cambridge at Corfu. Since the reign of George I, the Greek royal family has vacationed on the island of Corfu, where they received their most distinguished guests. Here, the Duke of Cambridge, the uncle of Queen Victoria and general of the English army, visits the Greek sovereign, who received him at the Palace of Saint George and Saint Michael, built by the English when they occupied the island.

 

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My grandfather, King George I, through skill, courage, and dignity earned the esteem of all of Europe, who in turn bestowed honors upon him. Thus did he receive the coveted and rarely granted Order of the Garter, which he wears with the obligatory short trousers.

 

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My grandmother, Queen Olga of Greece, born Grand Duchess of Russia, received jewelry from both her family and her husband King George I. She possessed an extraordinary collection of rubies and diamonds of rare elegance, which are still worn today by Queen Anne Marie, the wife of the great-grandson of Olga, King Constantine.

 

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King George I standing before the Palace of Saint George and Saint Michael in Corfu. He is surrounded by his family for what I believe was the annual celebration of Saint Spyridon, the protector of Corfu. I attended the ceremony with the royal family in my youth, during which we had to kiss the mummified feet of the saint.

 

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Helen of Greece was the eldest and favorite child of her father, King Constantine. She is wearing the traditional dress of Macedonia, the region won back from the Turks by her father. Helen would marry Carol I and become the courageous and unhappy Queen of Romania.


by  Prince Michael of Greece